CMS Lists Providers At Risk For MU Penalties

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

CMS details which providers need to meet MU qualifications beginning in 2015 or face financial penalties for failing to do so

Providers that are eligible for Medicare’s EHR Incentive Program are required to show progress in meeting meaningful use (MU) for certified EHR technology by 2015 or face penalties in the form of payment adjustments. Recently, CMS gave a presentation to detail “who will be affected, how to apply for an exception if you are eligible, and how the payment adjustment will be applied.” CMS also noted  several hardship exceptions will be made.

According to their presentation, summarized by EHRIntelligence, the eligible professionals (EPs) that will be affected are: doctors of optometry, doctors of podiatric medicine, chiropractors, doctors of medicine, doctors of osteopathy and, doctors of dental medicine or surgery. The hospitals affected are subsection (d) hospitals in 50 United States and District of Columbia and critical access hospitals (CAHs).

Certain providers, however, are exempt from such penalties:  nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, physician assistants when working at a PA-led federally qualified health center (FQHC) or rural health clinic (RHC), children’s hospitals, acute care hospitals in US territories, and cancer hospitals.

Hospital based physicians are also affected by the regulations, but they have a certain amount of leeway. Travis Broome, Team Lead for Policy and Oversight of Health Information Technology Initiatives told EHRIntelligence, “For 2015, if you are determined to be hospital based in either of the two years prior to the payment adjustment year, then you are not subject to the payment adjustment for that year.”

See the CMS Presentation HERE